Tragic details of the shooting deaths of Kyler Ramsdell-Oliva, 32, and her two daughters, Kenadee, 13, and Isabella, 7, are detailed in police reports. They provide clues but stop short of explaining why.

A suicide note addressed to Ramsdell-Oliva's sister was discovered that "described why Kyler shot the two juvenile females and took her own life," but those details were not made public.

Johnson told police that his ex-fiance had attempted suicide a couple of times in the past "but was always able to get the help she needed," a report states. He said he could usually tell when she was getting to that point, and would "go back to the doctors and get her medication adjusted."

Johnson told police that he and Ramsdell-Oliva had problems off and on throughout their relationship. Just a few days before the shooting, the couple were driving and arguing about his boys when she "snapped and started screaming at him, pulling her hair and acting crazy," a report states. Ramsdell-Oliva then rolled down the window, threw her wedding ring out the window, climbed into the backseat of the car and continued to scream and pull her hair.

Johnson compared the incident "to a small child throwing a temper tantrum."

Johnson thought the situation was so bad that he drove to University Hospital. Ramsdell-Oliva calmed down, however, and the two talked in the car parked in front of the emergency room without ever going inside, he told police.

Johnson and Ramsdell-Oliva had not lived in the Syracuse house for very long. Kenadee, who was an eighth-grader at Syracuse Junior High School, had only been to school one day since moving into the area. Isabella, who was in first grade at Syracuse Elementary School, had been attending classes for about a week.

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How to get help

SALT LAKE CITY — In Utah, crisis intervention starts with a phone call.

The CrisisLine is operated by the University Neuropsychiatric Institute is a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service staffed by mental health professionals. The number is 801-587-3000.

The CrisisLine provides a wide array of assistance depending on what a person needs. It is also the Utah affiliate for the National Suicide Prevention Network Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and provides statewide assistance.

People in Salt Lake County undergoing mental health treatment can also call UNI's Warm Line, a recovery support line operated by certified peer specialists available daily from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Certified peer specialists are people in recovery from their own mental health issues who have been trained to provide support and encouragement to individuals experiencing mental health crises. The Warm Line can be reached at 801-587-1055.

Sometimes people just need emotional support to help them through a rough patch in life. Other times, they need the help of community mental health or other supportive services in the community. The CrisisLine provides those referrals, too. Callers who live outside Salt Lake County are referred to services in their own areas.

Popular Comments

Ann Blake:I personally have worked with the depressed and mentally ill
population and it would be difficult to quantify how many lives antidepressant
medications have saved. While some of what you say is true, it doesn't
address the whole
More..

8:08 a.m. March 14, 2014

Top comment

Shimlau

SAINT GEORGE, UT

louie; to blame the gun is crazy. the gun didn't pick itself up and shoot
the three people. If she had used a kitchen knife (butcher knife) to do this
would you be saying ban the knives? Now, I'm not sure if that's where
your
More..

8:31 a.m. March 14, 2014

Top comment

Anonyme

Orem, UT

Airnaut, what 3% are you talking about? If you're suggesting that 3% of
people taking antidepressants “go crazy and kill,” you need to
provide some serious documentation. Because that's just fiction.

Pat is a veteran police and courts reporter for the Deseret News and KSL and has covered some of the biggest stories in Utah for the past two decades. He is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BA in journalism.